Morning, Noon, and Night
by BT Sing
Summary: Three different hours...three different days...three years apart...Three is the magic number as scenes from their past lead Naruto and Sakura closer together...NaruSaku
1. Morning

**A/N: Hey, first NaruSaku related posting...this is the first of three short, intertwined oneshots/chapters. Each one takes place around three years apart during different times of day (hence the name). Hope you enjoy...R & R**

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"**MORNING"**

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!"

Rolling her eyes at the familiar, obnoxious-sounding voice, Sakura continued walking. "Morning…"

Dashing over to his favorite pink-haired Genin, Uzumaki Naruto waved as he flashed his trademark grin. Regarding the energetic blonde approaching her with a brief smile, Sakura tilted her head to the side so she could focus her emerald green eyes on the brooding dark-haired boy standing behind Naruto.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" she beamed.

Seemingly in an even sourer mood than usual, the raven-haired youth simply nodded in response as he patiently waited for the two of them to join him. As Sakura took her usual place close beside Sasuke, Naruto moved up between them. Fidgeting with the freshly applied bandages along his face, the blonde groaned impatiently, drawing annoyed glances from his two teammates. Team Seven was awaiting the arrival of their habitually late sensei, who had asked the three of them to meet him atop the roof of the hospital. Doing so gave Naruto little excuse to not check in with the medics.

"Naruto, will you stop that," Sakura scolded, watching as he continued fussing with the dressings.

"I can't help it," Naruto replied. "They itch like crazy."

"If you keep it up, the wounds won't heal," Sakura warned. "And if you weren't so reckless, you wouldn't even need them. Sasuke-kun managed to come out of the fight okay."

At the mention of his name, Sasuke looked over. He and Naruto briefly exchanged glances, each of them noticing the slight glimmer of sadness reflected in the other's eyes. Both boys quickly looked away.

"Don't try and compare me to him," Sasuke said coolly.

"Hmph," Naruto glared. "No need to be jealous, Sasuke."

Sasuke eyed Naruto intensely, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Whatever," he muttered.

"Naruto!" Sakura started. "Don't try and…"

A sudden puff of smoke stopped her before she could continue.

"Yo."

Calmly standing against the chain link fence surrounding the rooftop, Kakashi held a hand up signaling his greeting.

"You're late," Naruto huffed, crossing his arms.

"Well, I have an excellent reason for that," the silver-haired Jounin smiled beneath his mask. "Though I can't really tell you right now."

"How convenient," Naruto muttered.

"Indeed," Kakashi replied, nonchalantly leaning back against the fence and stuffing a hand in his pants pocket. "I see you visited with a nurse at least, Naruto. I'm glad meeting here at least fixed one problem."

"Is there some other problem, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Nothing that you need to worry about," he answered warmly. "Naruto and I have some things to discuss after today's training."

"Eh?" Naruto mouthed, looking up.

Sasuke lifted his head, interested in the details as well.

"I've been asked to lend you out for a special mission, "Kakashi told him. "We'll worry about the specifics later, okay?"

"Special mission?" Naruto exclaimed with a wide grin.

The eager Genin immediately rushed to Kakashi's side.

"What kind of mission?"

"I don't really know," Kakashi answered. "As I said, we'll talk about it after training."

"But if it's a special mission, then shouldn't I be preparing?" Naruto questioned. "I should learn some stronger techniques, too, right? Hey, Kakashi-sensei. Teach me how to do the Chidori, too."

"Teach you how?" Kakashi responded. "It's not that simple."

"What?" Naruto protested. "I object to that…teach it to me!"

Naruto continued his ranting and complaining, oblivious to his two teammates standing only a few yards away. Amidst several larger puddles of the previous day's rain, Sakura and Sasuke watched as Naruto embarrassed himself further. Anxiously fidgeting with her hands behind her back, Sakura cleared her throat.

"Sasuke-kun," she said, turning to look at him. "Thank you."

Sasuke shifted slightly, but continued gazing at the ground.

"You saved us from the Sand again, right? Sakura smiled softly.

Sasuke's gaze hardened. "No."

"Eh?" Sakura said startled, leaning closer.

"Naruto saved you," Sasuke said, silently observing as Naruto tried to gather chakra in his hand.

Sakura gasped, eyes widening slightly as she glanced towards her blonde teammate. As Sasuke's words echoed inside her head, a small grin spread across her face. Though she didn't know why, she couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Now, Sasuke-kun," she chuckled. "You don't need to be so modest. It's true Naruto's gotten stronger, but he can't—"

"It's true," Sasuke stopped her.

Sakura froze.

"He fought with everything he had to save you," Sasuke said.

Sakura could barely grasp what she was hearing.

"He even showed powers he's never shown before," Sasuke revealed.

"He did?" she muttered.

Forcing herself to look upon her teammate, Sakura had trouble collecting her thoughts.

"For me?"

As she watched Naruto, red-faced and trying to focus chakra into his hands, Sakura realized how most of the preconceived notions everyone had about the former dead-last ninja had already been erased from her mind. She had seen first-hand on several occasions how wrong she and the others had been about Naruto. The events with Zabuza and Haku in Wave Country…Naruto trying to protect them from Orochimaru in the Forest of Death…beating Kiba and Neji in the Chuunin Exam tournament…she had seen all of it. So why was she so surprised?

"Chidori!"

Still panting and red-faced, Naruto held his hand high as his attempted Chidori failed. Realizing she had been staring at him, Sakura's expression softened as she smiled tenderly.

"Baka," she mumbled to herself.

Sasuke turned, frowning slightly as he moved towards Naruto and Kakashi.

"See?" Kakashi said calmly. "It's not something you can just learn like that."

Naruto gathered himself. "Hmph…let me try again…"

"No, I think once was enough," Kakashi sighed.

"But, Kakashi-sensei—"

"Well, on to today's training schedule," Kakashi started, before quickly noticing a distracted Sakura. "Sakura, care to join us?"

"Hm?" she stumbled. "Oh, right…"

Moving beside Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura listened as Kakashi explained the schedule for the remainder of the morning. Once he'd finished, he motioned for the three of them to follow him back into the hospital. Sasuke turned immediately, leading the way off of the roof. Naruto hastily hurried to catch up, rushing past a still smiling Sakura.

"Thank you…Naruto," she whispered inaudibly.

"Hm?" Naruto paused. "You say something, Sakura-chan?"

"No," Sakura said, shaking her head as she hid her smile.

"You sure?" Naruto asked, rubbing his chin. "I could have sworn I heard…"

"Get your ears checked then," Sakura smartly replied, gently smacking the back of his head. "Let's go."

Before Naruto could respond, Sakura was quickly following Sasuke and Kakashi through the door into the hospital. Shouting for the others to wait up, Naruto scampered after them, splashing through several of the pools of rainwater littering the rooftop.


	2. Noon

**A/N: A little longer than the first part...my intention was to keep them all fairly short, though progressively longer (last part is about twice as long as this one). (POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THOSE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE MANGA)**

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"**NOON"**

"Are you sure, Naruto?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "Thanks anyway, Chouji."

Despite everything his stomach was telling him, Naruto felt a little relieved that he resisted staying any longer.

"Okay then," Chouji waved. "Mind if I finish off your share?"

Naruto smiled. "Help yourself."

Mumbling a thank you in between bites, the hefty Chuunin quickly began to devour the bits of barbecue left on Naruto's plate. For his part, Naruto was glad to see someone enjoying the food. Even though he and the others had protested, Chouji had ordered a third round. Mentioning some excuse about dieting, Ino and Sakura had quickly excused themselves. Sai, having felt Sakura's wrath again, politely declined as well. And now, no matter how much his insides craved the delectable array of food before him, Naruto knew he had to take the opportunity to leave, too.

With a final wave goodbye to Chouji, Naruto left the restaurant, stepping outside into the comforting midday sun. He started back towards the hospital, hoping Kakashi had finished talking with Asuma about whatever it was that had been so important. As he wandered along the half-empty streets, Naruto found himself still preoccupied with their failure to save Sasuke. Though he had tried to hide it at lunch, the way Sakura kept glancing over at him told him he wasn't doing a very good job. Despite Kakashi's assuring words and Sakura's continued support and encouragement, he couldn't help replaying the events that had unfolded on the mission to Grass Country. His useless attempts to persuade Sasuke failing; his rival and friend, attacking them without hesitation; Sasuke suddenly appearing in his mind alongside he and the Kyuubi. The whole ordeal seemed too bizarre and horrifying to be real. Yet the pain and guilt residing in his heart told him it was indeed very real.

Shoulders slumped and head down, Naruto aimlessly meandered around town, soon forgetting where he was going. His mind still contemplating the unsuccessful mission, it wasn't long before Naruto realized he had gone completely off course. As he brought himself back to reality, he found himself in a familiar grassy training area. His eyes immediately wandered over to the three wooden poles protruding from a patch of dirt in the area, where the figure leaning against the center log came into focus. The short, pink strands of hair that danced calmly in the gentle breeze were a welcoming sight.

"Good afternoon," Sakura smiled. "Long time, no see, Naruto."

Smiling brightly, Naruto quickened his pace as he approached her. "Yeah…you and Ino took off really fast."

"Yeah," Sakura replied, lowering herself to the ground so her back was leaning against the wood. "She has this thing about food…"

Stepping beside her, Naruto mimicked Sakura's earlier pose, leaning his backside against the same wooden pole.

"So what are you doing out here, Sakura-chan?" he asked. "I thought you were going back to the library."

"The same as you," she answered, mindlessly picking at a few blades of grass. "Thinking…"

"…Yeah…" Naruto nodded, scratching the back of his head.

A few seconds of uncomfortable silence followed, as an awkward tension filled the air.

"Kind of funny being back here," Naruto said, trying to fill the calm. "Seems like a long time since we were first here, don't you think?"

Sakura smiled, still studying the ground. "Yeah…you were tied to that same pole while Sasuke-kun and I tried to feed you…"

"I remember that," he grinned. "You actually fed me by hand…that was so—"

Sakura swiftly elbowed the blonde in his leg.

"Ow!" he yelped.

"I thought I told you not mention that again," Sakura smirked.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto whimpered in response, rubbing his thigh.

Lifting a hand, Sakura calmly focused until the green aura of her medical jutsu illuminated her palm. Pressing gently against the leg she'd just hit, Sakura quickly healed the tiny bit of bruising she had caused. Naruto, his eyes transfixed to her hand as he realized where she was touching him, could barely move. After she removed her hand, he snapped out of his daze and again massaged his leg, noting the pain was gone.

"Thanks," he mumbled, still a little shocked.

"That's the benefit of training with Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said. "No matter how much pain I inflict, I can heal it."

The thought of Sakura beating him to a pulp and then healing him only so she could do it again made Naruto cringe. Seeing him shudder slightly, Sakura looked up at him with guilt.

"Though I guess not all of the pain," she said sadly.

Naruto glanced down, noting Sakura had turned her face away. It hurt him to see her like that.

"Sakura-chan?" he started.

"I'm sorry," she said hoarsely. "I guess being with Ino and everyone again…and talking about those first few days out of the Academy…it made me remember how horrible I used to treat you."

Naruto sighed before quickly forcing a smile. "Sakura-chan, it's no big deal…"

Sakura turned back, meeting his eyes. "I don't believe that…I was made fun of too, you know? I know how much it hurts…but you had it even more difficult than me. You had to put up with all of us making fun of you and with the villager's hatred."

Naruto frowned as she said this, looking away to avoid her gaze. "I got used to it."

"Naruto…" she began.

"Sakura-chan," he said firmly. "I won't lie and say it wasn't hard, because it was a lot of the time…but I think it made me stronger. Not just because of Kyuubi and everything, but it made me want to earn everyone's respect. It made me want to be Hokage…to prove that I've earned everyone's recognition…"

"Even though we still haven't acknowledged you?" Sakura frowned.

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned. "You, and Kakashi-sensei, and Iruka-sensei and…Sasuke…you guys were the first ones to acknowledge me."

Sakura shook her head, tossing out a handful of grass into the wind, letting the blades scatter about the earth. "It took us awhile, though…especially me…"

"That's not—"

"I never thanked you," she continued, not letting him interrupt. "Not for trying to look out for me, not for saving me from Gaara back then…not for a lot of things…"

"You didn't have to," Naruto smiled. "That's what friends and teammates are supposed to do, right?"

The simplicity in his response made her laugh. Naruto cocked his head to the side, eyeing her for a moment.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded. "I guess so…still, I'm kind of envious of you."

"Eh?" Naruto responded. "Why?"

"All the pain and difficulties you had to go through, and still have to deal with," Sakura replied. "I don't know how you manage it…I'm not sure if I could. I could barely deal with the pain after Sasuke-kun left…"

Naruto smiled, glancing up at a few rolling gray clouds.

"Maybe…it's better that you can't heal all pain," he offered. "It can help remind you of how it feels…so you can stop it from happening again."

Sakura's watery eyes wandered up to the same cluster of clouds. Muffling a laugh, she wiped a hand across them.

"Baka," she sighed, throwing another elbow.

Naruto easily hopped over it, landing comfortably on his backside and slowly stretching out on the grass a foot or so away. "See?"

Sakura couldn't stop herself from laughing this time.

"Hopefully Sai will learn that, too," Naruto grinned.

"Hm?" Sakura mumbled, glancing over at him.

"You've pounded him a lot, now," Naruto said jokingly. "Maybe he's learned not to call you 'ugly' or 'cow' or 'monstrously strong'…"

Sakura scowled. "What did I sat about calling me 'monstrously strong'?"

Naruto dodged several rocks thrown his way.

"So what were you and Ino going on about?" Naruto continued. "Back at the restaurant, I mean"

"Hm? Oh, she was just saying how similar Sai and Sasuke-kun look," Sakura answered.

"That again?" Naruto moped. "Geez, just because they kind of look alike…"

Sakura grinned, lifting her knees to her chest and leaning her elbows across them. "Jealous?"

"What?" Naruto asked, propping himself up.

"Sai got a lot of attention from Ino," Sakura giggled. "Maybe you're a little jealous of him."

Naruto scoffed. "Hmph…like I care what she thinks. Since she can't obsess over Sasuke, of course she turns to a Sasuke look-a-like…"

Sakura smiled. "Ino can get a little competitive."

"She's not the only one," Naruto laughed. "Everyone was like that…'Sasuke' this or 'Sasuke' that…bastard had it good."

"…Yeah…" Sakura sighed.

Realizing his words, Naruto hurriedly tried to correct himself. "Ah, I didn't mean to say that you—"

"It's okay, Naruto," Sakura smiled halfheartedly. "I was as shallow and obsessive as Ino was."

"Sakura-chan…"

"After everything we went through as a team, though," she continued. "I guess I expected us to be closer…all of us, I mean."

Naruto could only nod.

"Bu after the past few years, it's just you and me…and Sasuke-kun is away ready to sacrifice himself…"

"We'll save him," Naruto quickly assured her.

"I know," she answered hesitantly.

"Even if we doesn't want to be," Naruto continued. "No matter what, we'll bring him back."

Sakura smiled.

"I made a promise, remember?"

That powerful word brought Sakura back to her senses. She saw the terrifying image of Naruto, transformed into a four-tailed miniature Kyuubi, rampaging at the bridge. She could never forget how far Naruto was willing to go to keep that promise he'd made to her.

"Naruto," Sakura began, rising to her feet. "You're right…we will bring Sasuke-kun back somehow. And then things can go back to how they used to be."

Naruto hopped to his feet as well. "Right!"

Dusting off his pants, Naruto stepped over beside her. "So does that mean you and Ino will go back to obsessing over him?"

Sakura glared. "No…and we weren't that obsessed…"

Naruto laughed, trying to imitate a younger Sakura. "Sasuke-kuuun! Hello, Sasuke-kun! That was so cool, Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura quickly balled up both fists, preparing to pummel her loudmouthed teammate.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto smiled apologetically. "You have to admit it was funny. It's like you expected Sasuke to be some fairy tale prince…"

"Hmph!" Sakura snorted, spinning away from him as her face flushed.

Naruto continued grinning. "You have such a large charming forehead…makes me want to kiss it."

Naruto's mild laughter drowned out the sound of Sakura's teeth grinding, until she suddenly moved forward and pressed a hand to his mouth.

"What did you say?" she asked seriously, studying the boy's face.

"Hm?" Naruto mumbled, his blue eyes meeting hers. "I—"

"Never mind…" Sakura stopped him.

The two of them stood for a moment, glancing every so often at the other. Finally, Naruto took a few steps forward, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Kakashi-sensei might be free now," he grinned. "I'm gonna see if he's ready to start my training."

"Right," Sakura smiled back. "Guess I should get back to the library. I still have more research to do."

Naruto nodded, awkwardly waving goodbye. "See you later, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura waved back for a moment, then found herself hurrying up next to him.

"Something wrong?" Naruto asked, stopping to let her catch up.

"No," she smiled. "Just thought I'd go with you to see Kakashi-sensei again."

"What about your research?" Naruto asked as the two of them set off.

Sakura shrugged, clasping her hands together behind her back. "It can wait."


	3. Night

**A/N: Last part finally done (mostly - probably be edited at some point)...thanks to those who have read the story so far**

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"**NIGHT"**

"Hmph…it's all so troublesome."

"You say that about everything," the blonde smiled. "Oi, Ayame nee-chan…another bowl please."

"Coming right up!"

"Are you sure you have time for that?" Shikamaru frowned. "I thought you said you were supposed to meet with Tsunade-sama in an hour."

"It'll be fine," Naruto mumbled in between bites of the fresh bowl of miso pork ramen that had been set in front of him. "Baa-chan won't mind if I'm a little late."

Sighing, Shikamaru rubbed his eyes. "You do know it's been almost two hours since you told me that, right?"

The mouthful of noodles at the end of Naruto's chopsticks suddenly fell to the counter.

"Eh?" Naruto coughed, glancing up at the clock behind the counter. "Ah! Tsunade baa-chan's gonna kill me…thanks for dinner, Shikamaru!"

Naruto leapt from his usual stool at Ichiraku and dashed off.

"Oi, wait a minute, Naruto!" Shikamaru started, before lowering his head in defeat. "You didn't pay for your share…"

A yellow blur was all any of the other village residents could see as Naruto dashed up and across the streets of Konoha towards the Hokage's tower. Panting and out of breath, he slid to a halt just outside the doors leading inside. The pair of Chuunin guarding them smirked at one another.

"Late again, eh, Naruto?"

"Y-Yeah…" he said, gasping for air. "Is Baa-chan still here?"

"I'm afraid not," the other guard replied. "She left a few minutes ago with Shizune-san and Sakura-san."

"Where'd they go?" Naruto quickly asked.

"Hokage-sama mentioned checking up on patients at the hospital," he answered.

"Thanks."

Before either guard could respond, Naruto was sprinting towards the hospital. Inside the large medical facility a few blocks away, a trio of women was calmly gathering outside one of the larger surgical rooms. Standing respectfully behind Tsunade, Sakura and Shizune kept their eyes locked onto the sole ANBU who had returned from the recent battle without serious injury.

"And that's all you can tell me then?" Tsunade asked again.

"Yes," the ANBU nodded, his dark eyes veiled in the shadows behind his wolf-shaped mask.

"Very well," Tsunade sighed. "At least everyone returned alive. Good work, Sasuke."

Bowing slightly, the raven-haired ANBU stepped aside as Tsunade and Shizune moved inside the room. Sakura moved forward as well, but stopped beside him.

"You sure you're okay?" she frowned. "I know how stubborn you can be."

"Hmph," Sasuke grumbled. "I'm fine, just need—"

"Tsunade baa-chan!"

The familiar loud-mouthed voice echoed through the halls, causing Sakura and Sasuke to sigh, and Tsunade to poke her head back out of the room.

"Naruto!" she shouted back. "This is a hospital! The patients here require rest and comfort, so don't raise your voice!"

Slowing his pace, Naruto walked passed his two teammates and friends, smiling quickly at them both before approaching Tsunade.

"Sorry," he whispered. "And sorry I'm late for that meeting you wanted."

"You should be," she scolded, massaging her temples. "I have to tend to this patient, so I'll speak with you afterwards."

"How long is that gonna take?" Naruto frowned.

"Not as long as _you_ kept me waiting," Tsunade mumbled. "I'll be out in a few minutes"

"Got it," Naruto nodded, turning back towards Sakura and Sasuke. "Yo, Sakura-chan, Sasuke!"

Sasuke folded his arms across his black ANBU uniform and nodded in response as Sakura greeted Naruto with a smile as he approached.

"You know, Tsunade-sama is going to let you have it one of these days," Sakura playfully teased. "She keeps saying you're getting as bad as our sensei."

"What?" Naruto exclaimed. "I'm not nearly as late as Kakashi-sensei always is…plus, I don't make up crappy excuses."

"That's because your actual reasons for being late are pathetic in themselves," Sasuke snorted.

"Eh?" Naruto scowled. "What was that, Puppy-kun?

Sasuke growled quietly beneath his canine-inspired mask.

"Oi, will you two give it a rest," Sakura sighed. "It's been a really long day."

"Hmph," Naruto grinned. "Fine…since Puppy-kun here just got back from a mission, I suppose I should take it easy on him."

"If you call me that again, I'll make sure you have to stay here in the hospital a lot longer than you planned…"

"Enough!" Sakura shouted, smacking a fist across the shoulders of both boys.

Thrown back a few feet in either direction, Sasuke and Naruto sat silently on the floor, wincing and massaging their now aching arms. Appearing in the doorway again, Tsunade's clenched fists hung ready at her sides.

"I thought I told you to be quiet!" she yelled.

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at the floor while Sakura politely stood at attention.

"Geez…" Tsunade sighed. "Naruto, I'm finished here for the moment. We can speak for a few minutes."

"Yosh!" Naruto responded, hopping to his feet and racing to her side. "Sakura-chan, Sasuke…I'll catch up with you guys later at the usual spot."

Naruto waved briefly before Tsunade grabbed him by his collar and dragged him off.

"Never changes," Sasuke said, smiling slightly underneath his mask.

"Would you want him to?" Sakura smirked.

"Guess not," Sasuke admitted, turning and grabbing the pack he'd left sitting on of the benches. "Though he'd better not be late meeting us there."

"He will be," Sakura chuckled. "It wouldn't surprise me if he gets caught up arguing with Tsunade-sama, especially after what she's telling him."

Sasuke glanced over. "What's she telling him?"

"You'll see," she said, halfheartedly grinning. "Come on, it's almost dark."

With a polite shove, Sakura started Sasuke moving, following a step or two behind him as the two of them casually made their way out of the hospital. Back outside in the cool twilight air, the duo started off towards their destination. They walked silently, stopping only to allow Sasuke to change out of his ANBU gear. Within a few minutes, they reached the familiar training grounds that had been their "home away from home" during their days as Genin. Moving quietly towards the group of wooden poles embedded in the sole patch of dirt, Sasuke and Sakura each sidled back against the center pole, sliding down to the ground and relaxing their backs against it on opposite sides. Patiently, they waited for Naruto to join them.

"So what is the Hokage talking to Naruto about?" Sasuke asked calmly.

"Just wait until Naruto comes, Sasuke-kun," Sakura replied. "I don't want to take away the fun he'll have telling you himself."

"That guy won't care one way or the other," Sasuke sighed. "I'm already tired of waiting out here, so just tell me."

"Hmph," Sakura glared, brushing a few misplaced hairs from her eyes. "Fine. Tsunade-sama wants Naruto to lead a team of Genin when the next class graduates."

"What?" Sasuke gagged, eyeing Sakura with disbelieving eyes.

"That's what I said," Sakura smiled, looking back. "But she said she'd been thinking about it for a while. Naruto really impressed her with how he handled his job during last month's Chuunin Exam."

"That may be," Sasuke responded. "But he's still pretty young to be a Genin instructor."

"So says one of the youngest ANBU captains," Sakura smirked.

Sasuke grumbled in reply, picking at a few stray blades of grass. "Don't compare me to him. I don't act ten years younger than I am."

"No, you just act about twenty years _older_ than you are," a voice laughed from behind them.

Sasuke scowled, rising to his feet. "Is that supposed to be funny, dobe?"

"Naruto," Sakura said, trying to bypass Sasuke's remarks. "How'd it go with Tsunade-sama?"

"What do you mean?" he inquired, scratching the back of his head.

"What do you mean, 'what do I mean'?" Sakura responded. "What did she want to talk to you about?"

"Come on, Sakura-chan," Naruto smiled. "I'm sure you already know. And I'm sure Puppy-kun here begged you to tell him."

"Yeah, but—"

A swift darkly colored blur zoomed by Sakura's view, knocking Naruto to the ground.

"Dobe," Sasuke started, the red color of the Sharingan appearing in his eyes. "What did I say about calling me that?"

Naruto mumbled something to himself as he gingerly stood, dusting himself off. In a flash, he disappeared and then suddenly reappeared beside Sasuke, leveling him with a kick to his midsection.

"…I don't know…" Naruto said between gasps. "Maybe kicking the crap out of you again will refresh my memory."

Standing, Sasuke grinned back at his friend and rival before charging. Naruto followed suit, dashing in to meet Sasuke with his fists. As the two collided and began an impressive display of Taijutsu, Sakura sat grumpily off to the side. She'd seen the two of them do this at least once a week since the three of them had been reunited. She had tried to intervene at first, but found it more productive, and less tiring, to just let them wear each other out. Thankfully, twenty minutes later, sweaty and exhausted, the two young men collapsed in a heap beside one another.

"I…win…" Naruto muttered wearily.

"…You wish…" Sasuke replied, equally worn down.

From her seat beside the wooden logs, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Neither of you look like winners to me. Can we just say it's a tie and get going?"

"Like I'd draw with him," Sasuke smirked.

"Teme…" Naruto grinned. "You wanna go again?"

Sakura was quickly standing above them both, dragging them to their feet by their sleeves.

"No one's starting anything again," she threatened. "It's getting late, and Naruto, you still haven't told us what Tsunade-sama said."

Brushing some dirt and bits of broken leaves from his hair, Naruto nodded. "Baa-chan asked me if I would take a Genin squad when the class graduates in a few months."

"We know that," Sakura said impatiently.

"Then why did you ask me—"

"What did you say?" Sakura continued, cutting him off.

"I told her I'd think about it," Naruto answered.

"Think about it?" Sakura repeated. "Why would you have to think about it?"

"I don't know," Naruto shrugged. "It's a big decision, isn't it?"

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered. "Why wouldn't you want to do it?"

Naruto frowned, rubbing the back of his neck as it started to tighten up from the fight.

"Hmph," Sasuke added. "Regardless, I can't imagine you passing up a chance at gaining experience for becoming Hokage. You know all of the previous Hokages were Genin teachers, too, right?"

"I-I know that," Naruto replied.

"Sure," Sasuke grinned. "Think about it, dobe. I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

Sasuke turned.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura began, noticing him starting to leave.

"I need to get back and check on the rest of my squad," he said calmly. "The Hokage made it pretty clear that I should be there when they come to."

"Chickening out on a rematch," Naruto taunted.

"Next time," Sasuke replied.

"Hmph," Naruto responded, glancing away. "Whatever…"

Sasuke chuckled to himself. "Later, dobe."

"See ya, teme," Naruto shot back, feigning an angry sneer.

"Honestly," Sakura murmured, waving goodbye as well.

Sasuke was out of sight in moments, disappearing into the shadows created by the cloudy, moonlit sky.

"So, Sakura-chan, want to walk me home?" Naruto smiled.

"Walk you home?" she said, cocking her head to the side.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Unless you want me to walk _you_ home?"

Sakura laughed, shaking her head. "Baka…"

Flashing his trademark grin, Naruto shrugged as he and Sakura began heading in the opposite direction, back towards the center of the village.

"So are you going to say yes?" Sakura asked him after a few minutes. "To Tsunade-sama?"

Naruto frowned. "I want to, but I don't know if I should."

"Why shouldn't you?" Sakura asked. "Like Sasuke-kun said, it's a good step toward being Hokage."

"Yeah, but…" Naruto tried to counter. "Sakura-chan, with the way things are now, if I take the job, then I'll get to see you and Sasuke even less than I do now."

Sakura slowed, glancing at the ground.

"Sasuke's always busy with ANBU stuff, and probably always will be until he feels he's redeemed himself," Naruto continued. "And you've got all of those responsibilities at the hospital and with Baa-chan. I guess it sounds kind of selfish, but I thought that after we brought Sasuke back, things would get back to normal and I could finally spend time with you guys without Orochimaru or Akatsuki hanging over our heads."

Sakura nodded, hesitantly wiping at the tears forming in her eyes. "You're not the only one who wanted that. It's barely been a year since Sasuke-kun's been home, but we're just now starting to get back to doing normal shinobi things."

Naruto didn't really respond, simply agreeing silently with her words.

"It's kind of funny," Sakura smiled weakly. "I think we actually had more time together as a team when we were fighting Sasuke-kun during the last battle with Orochimaru than we've had in the past month…"

"That's pretty sad," Naruto chuckled. "Even if you count all of the hours we spent in his hospital room after I kicked the crap out of him…and the hours you probably spent weeping over his sleeping body when I wasn't there…"

Sakura slugged him again, shaking her head and ignoring his whining. "I didn't weep over anyone…and I've done enough crying for you _both_ to last me for a while."

"Really?" Naruto smiled. "When did you cry for me?"

"Naruto!"

"Eh? What…I just want to know," Naruto laughed. "I won't tell anyone."

"It's none of your business," Sakura snapped, looking away.

"Come on, Sakura-chan, I promise I won't say anything" Naruto grinned. "And I always keep my promises, you know?"

Sakura stopped, glancing up into his comforting blue eyes. Naruto continued grinning back at her, his smile fading as he saw the pained expression on her face.

"I know…so, do you remember what you promised me then, after we saved Sasuke-kun?" she asked hesitantly.

Naruto gulped, but brightened his smile again as he nodded. "Sure. I promised we'd always be together from then on…you, me, and Sasuke."

"That's right…" Sakura said anxiously. "…And I made a promise, too, remember? That I wouldn't let you keep that promise alone. That I'd share it with you…"

Sakura gently grasped Naruto's hand, intertwining her slender fingers with his. Stepping closer, the pink-haired kunoichi pressed her head into the crook of Naruto's neck. The lingering scent of sweat and muddy grass from the scuffle with Sasuke startled her nose. Yet, as she heard his breathing quicken, and felt him swallow heavily, Sakura couldn't help but smile. Slowly, she lifted her head up, gazing into those blue orbs again. She blushed slightly, her own eyes affixed to the boy's handsome face.

"And I also promised myself I wouldn't take anything for granted anymore," she went on. "I wouldn't let you or Sasuke-kun try and deal with things on your own. I wouldn't let us drift apart again. And I promised myself that I wouldn't hold anything back anymore…that I wouldn't let you be the one always supporting us…"

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto started, before noticing the reddish tint to her cheeks.

Sakura stopped him, pressing a finger to his lips. Nervously, she began tracing that finger slowly around the outline of his mouth and then along the three whisker marks on his cheek.

Giggling softly, she moved her fingers down his jaw line and stopped just above his chin, pressing down with just enough strength to force Naruto's head down closer to her level. She leaned in closer, eyeing his trembling lips and feeling the nervous sweat coming from both of their hands. Sakura paused, biting her lip and looking away as doubt unexpectedly flashed through her mind, until she suddenly felt Naruto turn her head and press his lips against hers. Both of them tensed, their open eyes meeting briefly before gradually closing. Wrapping a hand around the back of his head, Sakura tugged gently at the blonde locks hanging down his neck as she pulled herself closer, deepening the kiss. Naruto's hands instinctively found their way around to the small of her back and began slowly massaging up and down her sides.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sakura hesitantly pulled back and stepped away, licking her lips as she smoothed the top of her uniform. Her face flushed, she looked down at the ground, hiding the bright, joyful smile on her face.

"I'd better get going," she said faintly, glancing back up at him. "Want to meet at Ichiraku's for breakfast?"

"S-Sure," Naruto nodded, his mouth still slightly agape.

Sakura chuckled, shaking her head. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night…Naruto…"

She turned and headed anxiously down the street to the left, bringing a hand to her still burning lips. A few feet behind her, Naruto did the same. A subtle grin appeared across his face as he rubbed the back of his head.

"'Night…Sakura-chan…"


End file.
